Opinion + ent and tourismHospitality, event managem | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/commentisfree+education/tourismtransportandtravel
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Everest: the big belittled | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/06/mount-everest-big-belittled-editorial
This is the bulge of the exploration curve: after the pioneers come the dedicated and the rich, and after them the crowds<p>"Well, we knocked the bastard off!" So did Edmund Hillary inform his companions that he and Tenzing Norgay had conquered Everest on 29 May 1953. The Times's correspondent at Base Camp, Jan&nbsp;Morris, concluded later that if it mattered that the highest spot on earth had finally been stood upon, it was "because there became attached to the memory of the exploit, in the years that followed, a reputation for decency, kindness and stylish simplicity".</p><p>These days nobody, aside from those who know the climber, cares a jot when one reaches the 30 square feet that constitute the roof of the world. More than 3,000 people have done so – including twins, and a couple who married there – and, with the <a href="http://www.mounteverest.net/expguide/toclimb.htm" title="">ultra-short climbing season</a> almost upon us, 800 more are expected to try to reach the summit in the next couple of months. They will include hundreds of super-rich adventure <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/mountaineering/everest-2013/What-Does-it-Cost-to-Climb-Everest.html" title="">tourists who have paid up to $100,000</a> to commercial climbing companies to be assisted upwards, and a base-jumper, <a href="http://www.jobyogwyn.com/" title="">Joby Ogwyn</a>, who intends to throw himself off the top live on TV, wearing a wingsuit. The Nepalese authorities meanwhile have a plan to put a ladder on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/27/mount-everest-ladder-hillary-step" title="">the Hillary step</a>, the final obstacle below the summit, to ease the congestion there that has sometimes kept mountaineers queueing for hours. Base Camp will be <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26285028" title="">patrolled by security guards </a>in order to prevent a recurrence of <a href="https://www.thebmc.co.uk/everest-sherpa-steck-fight-the-sherpa-story" title="">last year's fight</a> in which almost 100 Sherpas clashed with a group of professional climbers.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/06/mount-everest-big-belittled-editorial">Continue reading...</a>Mount EverestMountaineeringent and tourismHospitality, event managemAdventure travelNepalTravelWorld newsSun, 06 Apr 2014 19:40:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/06/mount-everest-big-belittled-editorialEditorial2014-04-06T19:40:35ZRichard III: this king should stay in Leicester | Editorialhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/14/richard-iii-king-stay-leicester-editorial
An expected tourist boom is at stake for the city that can call itself Richard III's resting place<p>"Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end; Shame serves thy life and doth thy death attend." So the Duchess of York curses Richard III in Shakespeare's eponymous play, predicting the king's demise at the battle of Bosworth. More than half a millennium after Bosworth, Yorkists and their enemies are still fighting over his corpse. The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-23929989" title="">Plantagenet Alliance</a> – which describes itself as "collateral" or non-direct descendants of Richard and thereby grants itself licence to speak on his behalf – has launched a daring high court assault on the University of Leicester over the location of Richard's reburial site. The Plantagenets have asked for the matter to be put out for consultation with the public, the Queen, English Heritage and themselves, buying time to further the case for reinterment in York. The university, meanwhile, insists on Leicester, the city where he was found next to a painted letter <a href="http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Richard-III-dig-R-marks-spot-skeleton-Leicester/story-18030925-detail/story.html" title="">"R" in a council car park</a>.</p><p>Much is at stake. A substantial tourist boom is expected to come to the city that can call itself Richard III's resting place. Leicester's new £4m <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-25927760" title="">Richard visitor centre</a> is expected to attract 100,000 visitors a year. York, already blessed by cultural heritage with its Roman and Viking past and its <a href="http://www.yorkminster.org/home.html" title="">gothic minster</a>, would doubtless benefit, too.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/14/richard-iii-king-stay-leicester-editorial">Continue reading...</a>Richard IIIMonarchyUK newsLeicesterYorkArchaeologyent and tourismHospitality, event managemCultureHeritageHeritageFri, 14 Mar 2014 20:30:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/14/richard-iii-king-stay-leicester-editorialEditorial2014-03-14T20:30:47ZWho invited you to Bali? | Agnieszka Sobocinskahttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/26/who-invited-you-to-bali
<p>Tourists are often a burden on host communities. For decades, Balinese and Indonesians have expressed concern about the cultural degradation brought about by mass tourism</p><p>This summer, many of us are heading overseas. Australians are the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/top-spenders-on-international-tourism-countries">world’s largest spenders</a>&nbsp;on international travel on a per capita basis. In 2012, one in three of us headed overseas.</p><p>After New Zealand, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tra.gov.au/statistics/Australians-travelling-overseas.html">most popular destination</a>&nbsp;is Indonesia, or rather Bali. Close to a million Australians will visit Indonesia this year, many in the summer holiday peak. They form the largest single group of overseas tourists to Bali, accounting for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thebalitimes.com/2013/09/23/tourism-in-bali-dominated-by-australians/">around 25%</a>&nbsp;of foreign arrivals.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/26/who-invited-you-to-bali">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsAustralian politicsent and tourismHospitality, event managemIndonesiaThu, 26 Dec 2013 03:49:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/26/who-invited-you-to-baliPhotograph: Monika Mukherjee/GuardianWitnessBali: showing signs of tension. Photograph: Monika Mukherjee/GuardianWitnessPhotograph: Monika Mukherjee/GuardianWitnessBali: showing signs of tension. Photograph: Monika Mukherjee/GuardianWitnessAgnieszka Sobocinska for The Conversation2013-12-26T03:49:46ZFirst it's a visit to Auschwitz, then an organised bar crawl | Catherine Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/auschwitz-first-world-war-tourism-teaching
We are in grave danger of trivialising history, which is why it is vital that the young are taught it properly<p>Consternation, a few years back, when it emerged that stag party organisers were featuring Auschwitz-Birkenau as a lads' must-see, has done little to stop indomitable British weekenders booking trips to the extermination camp – "this eerie tour is a must," one tour operator says. In fact, to judge by the number of stag specialists now offering the excursion, widespread revulsion and accusations of insensitivity may only have confirmed Auschwitz as a top bonding experience, up there with running with bulls and oil wrestling; the latter, says another Krakow specialist, features "unbelievably attractive women, clothed only in lubricant".</p><p>"Quad Biking in the Morning then Visit one of the world's most haunting museums Auschwitz," <a href="http://www.thestagandhenexperience.com/stag/stag-activities/auschwitz-tour" title="">proposes the same operator</a> . "A standing tribute to one of the biggest travesties of the 20th century on Saturday followed by VIP guided bar crawl with English speaking guides." There is little evidence that hungover customers struggle, taste-wise, with what one provider calls the Auschwitz Stag Do Package, which could be attributable to amnesia, or to that fact that, as with lap dancing and medieval banquets, what happens at Birkenau stays at Birkenau.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/auschwitz-first-world-war-tourism-teaching">Continue reading...</a>HolocaustSecond world warFirst world warent and tourismHospitality, event managemSchool tripsSchoolsUK newsTeachingPoland holidaysSun, 25 Aug 2013 05:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/auschwitz-first-world-war-tourism-teachingPhotograph: APTourists at the main entrance to Auschwitz. Photograph: APPhotograph: APTourists at the main entrance to Auschwitz. Photograph: APCatherine Bennett2013-08-25T05:05:00ZThis perverse mixed message on immigration only harms the UK | Sonia Sodhahttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/24/immigration-camerons-mixed-message
Politics beats pragmatism as David Cameron welcomes foreign students at the same time as spurning them<p>David Cameron seemed to suffer a bout of temporary amnesia last week. He used a trade delegation to India to announce Britain is open for business to Indian students wanting to come and study here, despite having introduced an immigration cap that effectively relies on falling numbers of non-EU students.</p><p>Just the week before, his message to Eastleigh voters was that the Conservatives will be clamping down on the economic migrants taking advantage of Britain's "soft touch", deploying a strategy to try and shore up core Conservative votes.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/24/immigration-camerons-mixed-message">Continue reading...</a>Immigration and asylumUniversity fundingHigher educationEducationent and tourismHospitality, event managemUK newsSun, 24 Feb 2013 00:03:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/24/immigration-camerons-mixed-messagePhotograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPADavid Cameron in Mumbai, India, on a visit focusing on trade and commerce. Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPAPhotograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPADavid Cameron in Mumbai, India, on a visit focusing on trade and commerce. Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPASonia Sodha2013-02-24T00:03:00ZAustralia's 'safe' debate about racism goes viral | Peter Salmonhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/australia-safe-debate-racism
A YouTube video of a French tourist being racially abused reveals a nation aware of its changing identity in the world<p>Australia's attitudes to race have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/21/melbourne-racist-bus-rant-australia" title="">been spotlighted this week</a> after a YouTube video was posted on a French tourist being racially abused on a bus. The woman was told by one passenger to "speak English or die". She was then threatened with stabbing by a second man. The video has gone viral, and opened up a debate in Australia about levels of racism. But any discussion of what the video says about race relations in Australia, shouldn't be done without context.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/australia-safe-debate-racism">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsIndigenous peoplesFranceDigital mediaAsia PacificWorld newsRace issuesWomenent and tourismHospitality, event managemLife and styleYouTubeTechnologyAustralian politicsFri, 23 Nov 2012 10:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/australia-safe-debate-racismPeter Salmon2012-11-23T10:00:02ZBursting bubbles on the Jesus Trail | Seth Freedmanhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/26/israel-arabs-division-tourism
A spot of sightseeing can be a great way of bringing together Israeli Jews and Arabs – but first you have to get out of Tel Aviv<p>Prior to last weekend, I had spent a full week firmly ensconced in the <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/07/30/letter_from_tel_aviv/" title="">Bu'ah</a> – the cynical name given to the state of blissful ignorance in which many of Tel Aviv's residents dwell. Despite the physical proximity of the occupation, that the effects of the subjugation are not seen or felt on their very doorstep allows them to exist as though they have <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/oct/13/notacareintheworld" title="">not a care in the world</a>, rather than engage with the highly precarious and highly suspect way in which their leaders oppress the Palestinians under their control.</p><p>While I try to visit the West Bank at least once a week, and usually do my best to follow domestic affairs with a keen interest, last week I morphed temporarily into the epitome of Bu'ah beach bum; a combination of friends visiting from abroad and cloudless skies suspending my usual routine.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/26/israel-arabs-division-tourism">Continue reading...</a>IsraelPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaReligionIslamWorld newsent and tourismHospitality, event managemEducationTue, 26 May 2009 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/26/israel-arabs-division-tourismSeth Freedman2009-05-26T08:00:00ZIs caretaker of Hamilton Island the world's best job? | Open threadhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/04/hamilton-island-caretaker-best-job
OK, so it probably beats being British prime minister right now. But tell us what your ideal occupation would be<p><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/05/04/best.job/" title="CNN: Final interviews begin for island dream job">Finalists are currently preparing to be interviewed</a> for what has been billed as "the best job in the world": caretaker of the improbably idyllic <a href="http://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/" title="Hamilton Island official site">Hamilton Island</a>.</p><p>The six-month post as the Great Barrier Reef island's glorified janitor (tasks include cleaning the pool and maintaining a blog) pays $100,000. Not surprisingly, given the glorious location, the ample salary and less-than-arduous duties, the position has attracted widespread interest and thousands of applications.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/04/hamilton-island-caretaker-best-job">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsAustralia holidaysWorld newsTravelent and tourismHospitality, event managemWork & careersMoneyAll sectorsAsia PacificMon, 04 May 2009 09:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/may/04/hamilton-island-caretaker-best-jobPhotograph: Public domainA view of Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, where candidates are being interviewed for the job of the island's caretakerPhotograph: Public domainA view of Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, where candidates are being interviewed for the job of the island's caretakerOpen thread2009-05-04T09:30:00ZMartin Wainwright: The home of curry – and Englishnesshttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/23/st-georges-day-bradford
Bradford, where copies of The Satanic Verses were once burned, has been voted a national treasure for St George's Day<p>A study of the most English places in England to spend <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/apr/18/st-georges-day" title="">St George's Day</a> today has a pleasant surprise – No 3 on the list is Bradford. Given that the winner is Scarborough and the runner-up Penwith (the tip of Cornwall including St Ives and Land's End), you might think that the Bradford in question is the pretty one on the Avon in Wiltshire. But no; it is the Yorkshire city which I can see from my window as I write this.</p><p>Bradford? But isn't that where they <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/11/salman-rushdie-satanic-verses" title="">burn The Satanic Verses</a>, have street battles, and – more benignly – make fabulous curry? Yes it is. But as the study shows, the city is much more complicated and socially interesting than the last 30 years of headlines may have led outsiders to believe.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/23/st-georges-day-bradford">Continue reading...</a>Bradford holidaysYorkshire holidaysCultureent and tourismHospitality, event managemUK newsBradfordThu, 23 Apr 2009 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/23/st-georges-day-bradfordMartin Wainwright2009-04-23T07:00:00Z